UN disappointed over continued fighting in Sudan

By Mahmoud Barakat

ANKARA (AA) – The UN’s special envoy in Sudan on Monday expressed his extreme disappointment over continued fighting despite military rivals’ announcement of humanitarian corridors.

Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, “is extremely disappointed that the humanitarian cessation of hostilities that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had committed to, was only partially honored yesterday,” according to a statement by the mission.

“Clashes also intensified this morning,” it said, adding: “Perthes continues to urge all parties to respect their international obligations, including to ensure the protection of all civilians.”

It noted that the special envoy will continue efforts along with local, regional, and international sides to end hostilities.

In a related development, the Sudanese army rejected RSF’s claim of taking control of the headquarters of the General Command and the presidential palace in Khartoum.

Clashes intensified on Monday morning in and around the army headquarters amid airstrikes and gunfire between the between army, and the paramilitary forces.

A disagreement between the army and the RSF regarding military security reform, which envisages "the full participation of the RSF in the army," had turned into a hot conflict in the last few months.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had occurred without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”

Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019, is scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.